Palestine Today 021909

Israeli jet fighters bombard Gaza, while troops injured a Palestinian man in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The News Cast

Hours after the Israeli cabinet declined to enter a truce with Gaza-based resistance factions; Israeli tanks rolled into eastern Gaza city and opened heavy random fire on Palestinian residents in southern Rafah city. The Al Qassam brigades, armed wings of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza, said in a statement emailed to media outlets, that the Al Qassam fighters defended against Israeli tank advancement into the eastern parts of Gaza city. No causalities were reported.

Thursday morning, Israeli tanks opened heavy random fire on Palestinian residences in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip. Witnesses said that the tanks, stationed near the Kerem Shalom crossing, opened fire abruptly in the area. no causalities were reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Israeli media sources reported that an Israeli army unit on the southern Gaza-Israel border wounded and arrested a Palestinian man who was suspected of attempting to plant an explosive device near the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Palestinians sources reported, later in the day, that Israeli jet fighters bombarded areas along the Egyptian border. Sources from the Israeli army alleged that the attack targeted under ground tunnels at the border. Palestinian sources reported no injures. The army spokesperson added that the attack was in response to the firing of home made shells launched from Gaza at nearby Israeli areas.

One Palestinian man was injured and another kidnapped during an Israeli military home search campaign in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday.

Local sources said that Israeli troops searched and ransacked a number of homes in Hebron city, the nearby al Arob refugee camp, and a number of villages close by. Medical sources stated that Jawad Khiran, 37, sustained moderate wounds during the home searches. Meanwhile, one man from Hebron was kidnapped during the morning attack.

seven Palestinian civilians have been kidnapped by the Israeli military during pre-dawn invasion on Thursday targeting the northern West Bank city of Nablus and nearby village of Assira Al Shamaliyia.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Ghassan Bannoura and George Rishmawi.